Olongapo SubicBay BatangGapo Newscenter

Friday, November 21, 2003

DOC, TAGGED AS KIDNAP GANG CHIEF, 3 OTHERS KILLED

The leader of a criminal gang and three of his cohorts were killed and two others were captured yesterday during a police raid in their suspected safehouse in Dinalupihan, Bataan. The encounter also resulted in the death of PO1 Joselito Esguerra of the Angeles City police.

Wounded were as Vida Dorina Nicdao of Barangay Sto. Rosario, Magalang, Pampanga, who is now confined at the James Gordon Hospital in Olongapo City, and one Aling Abad of Misamis City.

Querol said the killing of Yap came after months of surveillance by the Angeles City police.
Querol said the alleged kidnappers opened fire as the Angeles City police were closing in on the suspects holed up in Apartment No. 9 along the national highway in barangay Bangal, in Dinalupihan town at around 5:30 a.m.
"Nagpaputok sila ng M-203 grenade sa mga pulis kaya may namatay na isa sa atin at ikinasugat ng iba," Querol said.

The policemen returned fire, hitting Yap and the others.
Recovered from the suspects' lair were two M-79 grenade launchers, an M-14 rifle, a baby Armalite rifle, an ingram-sub-machinegun, a .45 cal. pistol, three M-16 Armalite rifles, bonnets, and a burned Nissan Sentra car and plates with various numbers, including "XDH-777" believed used in the November 5 kidnapping of Pilar Pelayo in Angeles City.

Pelayo was abducted by the group in front of the Blue Gen Pawnshop in Plaridel, Angeles City. They were paid P985,000 for her release.
Records gathered from the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response said Yap's group was responsible for the following kidnapping for ransom incidents:
* Gonzalo Go, snatched on Yakal street, Tondo, Manila, Aug. 13. Ransom of P1.97 million was paid.
* Baby Ungson, May 17, on Taft avenue in Pasay City; P1.4 million ransom paid.
* Evaristo Kho, snatched April 13 at "Prima Uno at Dos" in Pasig; P1 million ransom.

Angelo Reyes, chief of the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force, said the Yap group was the No. 1 KFR gang in the country. It was also responsible for the November 2000 kidnapping of Filipino-Chinese student Florliz So in Pasay City. Reyes also said that Yap, aside from being a physician, was also a sugar trader.

Reyes said he considers the Yap group now neutralized.
Asked if Yap's group has links with scalawags in uniform, he said: "We are still investigating that but previous reports say that he might have some influence with some members of the authorities."

Teresita Ang-See of the Citizen's Action Against Crime said the group was behind at least nine KFRs in Metro Manila.

She said Yap had victimized a number of Filipino-Chinese. "Pati mga kamag-anak niya pina-kidnap na niya," she told a radio interview.
Ang-See said Yap was convicted last year by a Pasay City Regional Trial Court for kidnapping but was out on bail. Since then, Yap has masterminded at least five more kidnappings.

Ang-See said aside from KFR, Yap was also into hijacking and financed bank robberies. At one time, Ang-See said, their witness to a kidnapping case against Yap was harassed by the Western Police District, saying that the witness was into the illegal sale of volatile substance, including rugby.

She said the witness was a hardware store owner.
"How can he be selling rugby illegally ... our witness owns a hardware?" Ang-See said.
She said she has information that Yap was protected by police officials.
"The police should dig deeper into his (Yap) involvement in hijacking and bank robberies," she also said.

Ang-See said Yap should have been arrested as early as last January but for some reason managed to elude authorities.

"Bagumbayan is not a place or a name. It is character, attitude, values and principle. It is a solution to the ills of
society
and a vision of a great
country."
"What this country needs is not a change OF men but a change IN men" Dick Gordon
Send email and attach photos/images to:
olongapo.subic.post@gmail.comfor posting to Olongapo-SubicBayNews

This is a joint private blog of volunteers from Subic Bay.
It is being maintained primarily to collate articles that may be of importance to decision making related to the future of
Subic Bay and as a source of
reference material to construct the history of Subic Bay.
The articles herein posted remains the sole property of original authors and publications which has full credits to the
articles.
Disclaimer: Readers should conduct their own research and due diligence before using any article herein posted for whatever
intended purpose it may be. This private web log will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a reader's reliance on
information obtained from volunteers of this private blog.
www.subicbay.ph, http://olongapo-subic.com, http://sangunian.com, http://olongapo-ph.com, http://oictv.com,
http://brgy-ph.com, http://subicbay-news.com, http://batanggapo.com
16 January 2012